About Hyles tithymali Boisduval, 1834
Hyles tithymali, commonly known as the Barbary spurge hawk-moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Sphingidae. It was first formally described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1834. Genomic analysis has reclassified the entire taxon as a subspecies of Hyles euphorbiae. This moth is distributed in North Africa, the Canary Islands, Madeira, several Mediterranean islands, and the mountainous regions of Yemen. The forewings of this species measure 45 to 85 mm in length. Its larvae feed on plants from the genus Euphorbia. Researchers believe Hyles tithymali once occupied a much larger range across Europe, but was pushed further south after a cooling climate event around 3600 years ago. Cold-resistant strains of Hyles euphorbiae replaced Hyles tithymali in its former northern range. As a result of this range shift, many isolated populations of Hyles tithymali exist today, and most of these isolated populations have evolved into distinct subspecies.
